Diary of a Racketaholic

gino said:
the 25 gravity paintjob will go down in history as an all time great one, unreal

congrats on the head. genuinely envious. although my head rep did come through with a promo PJ GT98, so stoked to get this one out on the court

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Not for me of course, I ordered a bunch of demos for another coach to try out. He’s a Yonex pro but I’m getting out of the Yonex business so I’m deferring my contract to him and having him figure out which head racket makes most sense for him cause he’s never really tried any of them

Sick! I like the promo pj when coaching. Unassuming and super sleek. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! I’m feeling like a shill all over again haha
 
My TW package showed up out of nowhere today. Although this replacement UPS guy delivered it to the wrong house. I rode around the neighborhood on my bike until I found it. The lengths we will go to for our new frames.

I ordered 3 hoping I'd find 2 that were somewhat close. In reality all 3 were pretty close but 2 were near identical. 2 of them are 307g, 31.0, 288.5 SW. The 3rd one is 305g, 31.25, and 291.3 SW. Really I think I'd want a pair of that last one. But the pair I'm going to keep may be a bit more whippy and HL. Plus should be easy to add some lead at 12 like Beckett did in case I want more power.

Not sure what to string them with. Think I'll put Ice Code in one and maybe RPM Blast in the other.
 
TwinCinema said:
I know my last post was kind of a bummer with my shoulder news and all, so I'm gonna hit a note of real positivity this time! Not to be deterred by the unhealed rotator cuff tear I decided to play some easy-going live ball today, knowing in advance that I would have to bail on some shots (if they involved reaching way outside too fast, or going for overheads at the net). But I was hoping that just doing slow, early prep, I could still hit my groundstrokes. And hit them I did! It was a great 90 minutes on the court, and made me optimistic that once my PT works and I get stronger, I'll even be able to reach for some shots soon. Maybe the serve is gone forever (barring surgery which is still on the table, so to speak) but I can get out there and swing.

But my real point with this post is on a holic note -- lesson of the day is that the best racket for a certain situation might be counter-intuitive. At first I had all intentions to use the stick I was most accustomed to, and especially the whippiest one in my bag. So I warmed up with the PSVS. But I was realizing that I still had to muscle my forehands more to get the easy depth, and while my shots had touch and finesse, they didn't have mass.

Out came the Blade Pro! And dear readers, I was reminded why I still think this is the single best frame I have ever used. Because even though it's the most demanding one in my bag (beefy swing weight, requires early prep, not super forgiving) it also is the best for my injury. Why? Because the stick does all the work! As long as I get a nice early takeback, I can just let the frame swing itself and pancake the ball. The BP is a goddam tank. I was crushing the backhand flat, low, and super deep. My forehands had a good amount of topspin (I have the 16x19 version) and would get depth and then spike up off the bounce. I still had some ugly mishits (I keep having to remind myself just how much priming I need to do with my shoulder joint on every takeback) but when I hit clean contact, the racket took no mercy on those poor ProPenn rally balls.

Also it must be noted that Alu Rough plays like a dream in this frame (and lasts longer than regular Alu for some reason).
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Nice!
I also spent 1h today, with a friend that has an injured wrist( while using the heaviest FC I had sold him), trying to instill in him fast/early( not slow) prep and relaxed swings by getting the racquet drop, then pulling it and throwing it at the ball...
Seemed to have helped!
I wish he had cleaner contact though.
 
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SupahMan5000 said:
Must be my birthday with all this Head I’m getting

Double broke strings today so I left with the Coco Boom to hit with students. I’m genuinely surprised. It’s like a lower powered Ezone esque frame. Nice sweetspot, good spin, fairly controllable. Muted. Firm enough for good feedback when strings are worn in but nothing spectacular. I could genuinely recommend ppl to try it

Also GRX. The tall inside is very ugly but it works and is super comfortable and supportive
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The Coco mint paintjob is soooo good.
 
SupahMan5000 said:
Must be my birthday with all this Head I’m getting

Double broke strings today so I left with the Coco Boom to hit with students. I’m genuinely surprised. It’s like a lower powered Ezone esque frame. Nice sweetspot, good spin, fairly controllable. Muted. Firm enough for good feedback when strings are worn in but nothing spectacular. I could genuinely recommend ppl to try it

Also GRX. The tall inside is very ugly but it works and is super comfortable and supportive
RjX50ew.jpeg
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I love having you back on the board more often.
 
Haven't I said it 500135.000 times already? Toroline showed Big Brands the new way of marketing. Others copied that or at least tried.
Tecnifibre getting Karue Sell onboard is the biggest marketing move of 2025 season. I wanna leave a mustache, take 3 Tecnifibre 305s, through the K-Pop on them and get back to tennis after 4 months off!
(And a Nordicdot Model 99 in a Lacoste bag)

 
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konstantinos kalfountzos said:
Haven't I said it 500135.000 times already? Toroline showed Big Brands the new way of marketing. Others copied that or at least tried.
Tecnifibre getting Karue Sell onboard is the biggest marketing move of 2025 season. I wanna leave a mustache, take 3 Tecnifibre 305s, through the K-Pop on them and get back to tennis after 4 months off!
(And a Nordicdot Model 99 in a Lacoste bag)

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You keep talking like Toroline is disrupting the market. They're still a very tiny fish in the world of tennis strings. In my local tennis community, about 5 people have heard of them. And 2 of them are on this forum.

Karue, Winston, and other YouTubers have relatively small audiences. But none of these guys are swaying your average tennis player (if they even know who he is), let alone deciding what tennis strings they want when they go to their local pro shop who only stocks Wilson / Yonex strings.

We, the members of talk tennis, are a very small (but active!) fraction of the tennis community at large.
 
Soundbyte said:
Karue, Winston, and other YouTubers have relatively small audiences. But none of these guys are swaying your average tennis player (if they even know who he is), let alone deciding what tennis strings they want when they go to their local pro shop who only stocks Wilson / Yonex strings.
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Teenagers spend more time on their phones than on the court. 2 years ago, noone would see this coming.
 
Soundbyte said:
You keep talking like Toroline is disrupting the market. They're still a very tiny fish in the world of tennis strings. In my local tennis community, about 5 people have heard of them. And 2 of them are on this forum.

Karue, Winston, and other YouTubers have relatively small audiences. But none of these guys are swaying your average tennis player (if they even know who he is), let alone deciding what tennis strings they want when they go to their local pro shop who only stocks Wilson / Yonex strings.

We, the members of talk tennis, are a very small (but active!) fraction of the tennis community at large.
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Toroline is a small fish compared to the mainstream string brands but the growth rate has easily out paced other small brands like YTEX. When I have meetings with brands, Toroline is often brought up as a market disrupter by the people I meet with. They may not be on the radar of the average public court warrior, but they are on the radar of every single product manager in the industry in a way that YTEX, Tru Pro, Grapplesnake etc just aren't.
 
dr. godmode said:
Toroline is a small fish compared to the mainstream string brands but the growth rate has easily out paced other small brands like YTEX. When I have meetings with brands, Toroline is often brought up as a market disrupter by the people I meet with. They may not be on the radar of the average public court warrior, but they are on the radar of every single product manager in the industry in a way that YTEX, Tru Pro, Grapplesnake etc just aren't.
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Tennis warehouse Alpharetta has a pack of toroline on the string wall a month or so ago.

Now they have 4, and said lots of people coming in are buying it. I could see how brands would take notice - the smaller brands don’t even get to a retailer like TW
 
I
dr. godmode said:
Toroline is a small fish compared to the mainstream string brands but the growth rate has easily out paced other small brands like YTEX. When I have meetings with brands, Toroline is often brought up as a market disrupter by the people I meet with. They may not be on the radar of the average public court warrior, but they are on the radar of every single product manager in the industry in a way that YTEX, Tru Pro, Grapplesnake etc just aren't.
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It makes sense. They embraced digital media more and while they have made nice strings, the marketing is on another level. I got strings from them in packages that look more like fashion branding than just a typical string package. They are very focused on aesthetic. When you combine that with a lot of digital influencers talking about them and the fact that the strings are arguably close to Solinco quality, you don't just have good strings that a lot of college/Jr players will use - you have a brand. True Pro/Grapplesnake aren't really brands. They are just really good strings that you buy because of performance to price ratio.

I think your channel is a good example of branding. The design, the edits, the lens..etc. It all separates from a more conventional tennis vlog. It's all the little things that add up to the overall success of a product that has that extra 5-10% that others do not.
 
taylor15 said:
The K90 was the gem of the PS90 line. I still have an N90, but the firmer K90 was so good.
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Entirely agreed. The handle was shorter like Feds pro stock too, so imo it’s the closest thing out there to what he may have used. Really snappy feeling & crispy like other kfactor layups. Hit with both my k90 and n90 yesterday, sweet sticks and more suited for baseline tennis in 2025 than something like the PC 2.0
 
dr. godmode said:
Toroline is a small fish compared to the mainstream string brands but the growth rate has easily out paced other small brands like YTEX. When I have meetings with brands, Toroline is often brought up as a market disrupter by the people I meet with. They may not be on the radar of the average public court warrior, but they are on the radar of every single product manager in the industry in a way that YTEX, Tru Pro, Grapplesnake etc just aren't.
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I would agree with their growth rate....but they also haven't been around that long. They started in 2018, Ytex has been around almost twice as long. But hopefully they will continue to grow.
That being said, I'll also push back a touch in that the product managers you are speaking with are the social media specialists who know their competition in that specific space. You have 23k subscribers, thats no easy task. But does a TennCom video, Tennisnerd video, etc lead to as many sales as having Tennis Warehouse carry the brand? Maybe, I don't know.
All the "microbrands" (can I call them that? that use that term in the watch world) seem to advertise similarly - social media and forums. Restring Zero, ADV, TruPro, Toroline, etc. And to be fair, thats modern marketing. Grassroots is the way to go until you become large enough to sponsor a tournament, buy ad space from the major broadcasters. Rolex didn't start off having their commericials play during every single tennis TV coverage in existance, but now they do.
I have no idea how much product these companies move. Hopefully its a ton. I want a competitive marketplace. I dont need to see a string/racket/bag monopoly.
I guess I just found myself annoyed with the recurrent statements that Toroline was doing something magical in the ad space. Companies have been doing this for over a decade, Toraline is far from the first. Heck, another TT favorite Vuori started off the same way (NYT)

Didn't mean to rant. I'll go back to figuring out which rackets of mine I need to sell
 
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Soundbyte said:
I guess I just found myself annoyed with the recurrent statements that Toroline was doing something magical in the ad space. Companies have been doing this for over a decade, Toraline is far from the first. Heck, another TT favorite Vuori started off the same way (NYT)

Didn't mean to rant. I'll go back to figuring out which rackets I'm mine I need to sell
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Sure, but small tennis string companies have not, which was the point I was trying to make. Vuori is a lifestyle clothing brand.
 
gino said:
Entirely agreed. The handle was shorter like Feds pro stock too, so imo it’s the closest thing out there to what he may have used. Really snappy feeling & crispy like other kfactor layups. Hit with both my k90 and n90 yesterday, sweet sticks and more suited for baseline tennis in 2025 than something like the PC 2.0
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Wilson should take a note from head and re-release. They have the 6.1 available, but I’m sure a K90 would sell like crazy. Better yet, give the US the AK90 and let people try the lighter spec. I know a guy that plays those and the lighter weight does make it easy in the modern game.
 
taylor15 said:
Wilson should take a note from head and re-release. They have the 6.1 available, but I’m sure a K90 would sell like crazy. Better yet, give the US the AK90 and let people try the lighter spec. I know a guy that plays those and the lighter weight does make it easy in the modern game.
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Just rerelease the whole Kfactor line. Add some 16x19 option to Blade and Blade tour.
That would make many people happy, most importantly me. Kblade tour 93 with K90 16x19 string spacing would be so hot.
 
JGads said:
YY stock up 32.1 percent on latest market reports.
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Haha, yeah. Keys (& Shelton & Paul etc.) got me thinking about YY again. Love the new EZ98 color and someone dropping the words better DR98 somewhere is making me twitchy. I can feel almost purchase pre dopamine being released and it’s making me a little giddy. What am I saying though? I have never loved their grip shape and have embraced minimalism in 2025. Hence, I will resist the temptation (for now).
 
YY gripshape is a huge bummer for sure.

I was watching Keys versus Iga and it was interesting because at the start of the match she was hitting like her old self - super flat and the ball was hitting the net a lot. Tons of errors. Just a rough start. But then she settled in and put more shape on the ball and it was go time. She really loved the old school h19/22 frames and gut, but I think going modern has allowed her to change her technique and hit with more shape and spin. Her husband has been changing her technique up a bit, and got her off the old school racquet setups and it paid off.
 
Power Player said:
YY gripshape is a huge bummer for sure.

I was watching Keys versus Iga and it was interesting because at the start of the match she was hitting like her old self - super flat and the ball was hitting the net a lot. Tons of errors. Just a rough start. But then she settled in and put more shape on the ball and it was go time. She really loved the old school h19/22 frames and gut, but I think going modern has allowed her to change her technique and hit with more shape and spin. Her husband has been changing her technique up a bit, and got her off the old school racquet setups and it paid off.
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For sure. Her equipment and technique adjustments paid off huge. Happy for her. She’s been grinding for years.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
Haven't I said it 500135.000 times already? Toroline showed Big Brands the new way of marketing. Others copied that or at least tried.
Tecnifibre getting Karue Sell onboard is the biggest marketing move of 2025 season. I wanna leave a mustache, take 3 Tecnifibre 305s, through the K-Pop on them and get back to tennis after 4 months off!
(And a Nordicdot Model 99 in a Lacoste bag)

Click to expand...
I had a feeling this was going to be Karue’s racquet switch. He loves 18x19 string pattern racquets.
 
taylor15 said:
Wilson should take a note from head and re-release. They have the 6.1 available, but I’m sure a K90 would sell like crazy. Better yet, give the US the AK90 and let people try the lighter spec. I know a guy that plays those and the lighter weight does make it easy in the modern game.
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my nCode is the asian variant, i love how its more of a platform than a stick already loaded up with static weight
 
KC! said:
I had a feeling this was going to be Karue’s racquet switch. He loves 18x19 string pattern racquets.
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I've seen some 98 sq inch rackets uptop 100 sq inch and couldn't tell them apart. 2 sq inches difference is absolutely nothing, compared to the differences in the beam width and thickness. I look forward to watching more content from Karue Sell.
 
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konstantinos kalfountzos said:
I've seen some 98 sq inch rackets uptop 100 sq inch and couldn't tell them apart. 2 sq inches difference is absolutely nothing, compared to the differences in the beam width and thickness. I look forward to watching more content from Karue Sell.
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I just demoed this 2025 TFight 98 305 18x19 & really liked it. Litterly the whole string bed felt like a sweet spot. This 22.5 inch beam is rock solid & packs a real punch.
 
KC! said:
I had a feeling this was going to be Karue’s racquet switch. He loves 18x19 string pattern racquets.
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Karue switched to a 305s? Nice! I always seem to have similar frames as Karue even though I'm 1% of the player he is. I would just like to point out that this time I made the switch before he did.

I played with my pair of 305S this morning in a league match. I started out good but then faded. It probably didn't help that I was up until 4AM watching the 1st 2 sets of the womens finals and then didn't wake up early enough to eat any real food. Lost 5-7 2-6. A lot of that 2nd set was me trying to hit bigger in an attempt to get my FH back to where it used to be. If I took it down a notch I could lengthen out points and games like I did in the 1st set. But for now I'm more concerned with accelerating the rehab of my game.

I had 1 strung with Ice Code and the other with Cyclone (Both at 45#). The cyclone has a bit of a stiffer brassy feel to it. The Ice Code felt softer and a bit more powerful. I'll probably cut the Cyclone out soon and restrung it with RPM Blast to see how that feels in this frame.
 
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Vicious49 said:
Karue switched to a 305s? Nice! I always seem to have similar frames as Karue even though I'm 1% of the player he is. I would just like to point out that this time I made the switch before he did.

I played with my pair of 305S this morning in a league match. I started out good but then faded. It probably didn't help that I was up until 4AM watching the 1st 2 sets of the womens finals and then didn't wake up early enough to eat any real food. Lost 5-7 2-6. A lot of that 2nd set was me trying to hit bigger in an attempt to get my FH back to where it used to be. If I took it down a notch I could lengthen out points and games like I did in the 1st set. But for now I'm more concerned with accelerating the rehab of my game.

I had 1 strung with Ice Code and the other with Cyclone (Both at 45#). The cyclone has a bit of a stiffer brassy feel to it. The Ice Code felt softer and a bit more powerful. I'll probably cut the Cyclone out soon and restrung it with RPM Blast to see how that feels in this frame.
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Yes, he just posted a video today about it. @konstantinos kalfountzos posted it above. It’s a great racquet update that has me considering it for a change. I really like the new Ezone too, so still processing.
 
30 min of stringing time to 1.5 hours of play time each week is an expensive and tedious ratio

I can’t imagine 1.30 element will be that much more durable. Hoping the Head round polys can squeeze 2 hours

Are shaped polys more durable?
 
KC! said:
Yes, he just posted a video today about it. @konstantinos kalfountzos posted it above. It’s a great racquet update that has me considering it for a change. I really like the new Ezone too, so still processing.
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Yeah, I warched the vid. Its interesting that the frame customizer at one point tells Karue that is a low SW for someone who guides the ball. And Karue says hes trying to get away from guiding the ball. Live ive said, im a fraction of the player he is but I ‘guide’ the ball too even though thats not my intent. But it makes sense why ive always liked adding some weight to my frames or Ive liked frames that help plow through the ball more than those made for a whippier stroke.

SupahMan5000 said:
30 min of stringing time to 1.5 hours of play time each week is an expensive and tedious ratio

I can’t imagine 1.30 element will be that much more durable. Hoping the Head round polys can squeeze 2 hours

Are shaped polys more durable?
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i cant relate. I dont break strings. They die on me or the stringbed locks up and needs to be cut out.
 
SupahMan5000 said:
30 min of stringing time to 1.5 hours of play time each week is an expensive and tedious ratio

I can’t imagine 1.30 element will be that much more durable. Hoping the Head round polys can squeeze 2 hours

Are shaped polys more durable?
Click to expand...
Have you tried tru pro Durafluxx yet? That’s the ticket.
 
Was it @JGads that I made that bet with a few years ago about not buying any more frames this year? Im ready to try it again if he is. I cant buy anything other than the 305s until Black Friday sales. I mean Id be crazy to miss out on great BF deals.
 
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